A 2018 bay colt out of Kiowa was named 2019 Futurity Grand Champion at the annual $22,500 Virginia Breeders Yearling Futurity, held June 23rd at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. The event was sponsored by the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and the Virginia Breeders Fund. The Judge for the competition was Patrick Lawley-Wakelin.

The champ, who also won the Virginia-Bred/Sired Colt & Gelding division earlier in the day, is owned/bred by Corner Farm (Ned Moore & Gillian Gordon-Moore) and John Behrendt.… Continue reading →

The following appeared in The Racing Biz and was written by Frank Vespe

It took the Royal Academy mare Embarr two tries to break her maiden, which she did at Colonial Downs back in 2011 at odds of 31-1. 

In that respect, at least, Fionnbharr looks like a chip off the old block. The three-year-old Exchange Rate filly, Embarr’s first foal to make the races, broke her maiden Saturday afternoon at Laurel Park, also in her second career start, and… Continue reading →

The following piece appeared in the Virginia Mercury publication and was written by Ned Oliver.

Bettors have responded enthusiastically to Virginia’s foray into expanded gambling, wagering $70.8 million last month at two new casinos opened by Colonial Downs.

“I’d rather come down here instead of buying a scratch ticket,” said Clyde DeBoll, a 65-year-old retiree from Henrico as he entered the New… Continue reading →

Here are some scenes from a peaceful morning in June at Stephanie Nixon’s Horseshoe Hill Farm in Ashland.

She currently has about 20 horses that reside on site — five older, retired horses and another 15 Certified ones that are in the new Virginia Residency Bonus program.

“This time of year, it’s a bit more quiet so we do a lot of repair and maintenance work,” she said. “At the peak time, we’ll have between 40-50 horses here.”

Nixon employs… Continue reading →

Other Options Available at Various Price Points for Racing Fans

Colonial Downs is pleased to announce families are welcome as it offers free general admission to everyone during its upcoming 15-day race meeting, August 8 – September 7. Other seating options are available as tickets went on sale this past weekend.

Racing will run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the month-long period. Gates open at 4 p.m. ET and post time for all race days is 5 p.m. ET.… Continue reading →

A total of 30 Virginia-Certified horses reached the winners circle in May and in turn, provided their owners with a 25% bonus on top of purse earnings they collected. Of those, 11 wins came from West Virginia-breds, 9 from Maryland-breds and four each from New York and Kentucky-breds. Horses bred in Pennsylvania won a pair. 

In order to… Continue reading →

A trio of Virginia-bred horses will compete in stakes races this weekend including the Champion Three-Year-Old Male of 2018, a sophomore filly seeking her third straight win, and a six-year-old horse looking to push his bankroll over the $500,000 mark.

Elusive Mischief, bred by Jim FitzGerald and Katie FitzGerald at their Chilly Bleak Farm in Marshall, comperes in Saturday’s $120,000 Mighty Beau Overnight Stakes at Churchill. The now four-year-old Into Mischief colt has not raced since capturing the Punch Line… Continue reading →

The following appeared in Fauquier.com and was written by Jill Palmero.

The Colonial Downs Group has its sights set on Dumfries as one of two new locations for its next “Rosie’s Gaming Emporium” brand of pari-mutuel betting parlors. But Dumfries voters will have the final say if the effort reaches the ballot this November.

The Colonial Downs Group, which is relaunching its New Kent County, Virginia, horse racing track this summer, announced Thursday that longtime Dumfries resident Linda Wilkins submitted… Continue reading →

The annual Virginia Yearling Futurity is scheduled for Sunday June 23rd at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds and this year, Cary Frommer will be the judge! Here are details of Cary’s career.

Cary Frommer has been involved in the Thoroughbred industry for more than 30 years. She has one son, Evan. Growing up as the daughter of an Army Officer, Cary traveled the world before settling in Aiken and working for some of the top trainers in the country including… Continue reading →

Led by the $250,000 Virginia Derby (G3), Colonial Downs today announced its 2019 stakes schedule for the 15-day race meeting, August 8 – September 7, which will include $1.8 million in stakes purses as flat racing returns to Virginia for the first time since 2013.

Through the investment of the Colonial Downs Group, Colonial Downs has been reestablished for the 2019 season. Located between Richmond and Williamsburg, Colonial Downs will offer daily purses averaging a minimum of $500,000, which will… Continue reading →